Golf swing training rod with elastic retainer

ABSTRACT

A training aid device and method for training golfers in the making of drives, pitches, putts, and the like by indicating the rotation of shoulders, waist, and/or hips as backswings, strokes, and follow-throughs are taken. The device is a simple rod with an elastic that passes behind or in front of the golfer to hold the rod in a desired position to indicate the rotation, if any, correct or incorrect, of the body part as the swing is taken.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to golf swing training aids which show whether a person's stance and handling of a golf club, whether a driver, pitch, putter, or the like, is correct or incorrect, by isolating and displaying the direction and rotation of particular body parts as the stroke is prepared for and then made.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

Several prior art patents show use of a rigid rod worn across the shoulders or chest of a golfer, affixed to the front or back of the golfer in various harnesses, for showing rotation of the upper body of the golfer in a drive swing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,787 and published US application no 20030220168 show use of a bar strapped to a harness carried on the user's upper chest to indicate the amount of rotation achieved in a golfer's making one particular golf swing, a drive as from a tee. Neither disclosure uses or suggests just a simple elastic strap to hold the bar to the golfer's trunk, limiting utility of the devices in testing the execution of different strokes. A need exists for a simple, inexpensive, easy to use, and informative golf swing training aid that can help to perfect several different, important golf strokes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a golf swing training aid that is simple to make, inexpensive to acquire, easy to use, and helpful in teaching golfers the proper manipulation of their golf clubs and bodies for making driving, pitching, putting, and/or other shots in golf.

The invention comprises a lightweight, relatively stiff rod or bar of about 3.5 feet in length, an inch or so in diameter, with one or more pad eyes or the like near each end. An elastic band or cord, such as a bungee cord, is fastened to one pad eye on each end of the rod via hooks or another convenient device. The band or cord has such a length and elastic force as to hold the bar across the front, back, or hips of a golfer without significant movement away from the desired position during a golf swing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a device of the present invention in plan form, with the elastic cord stretched somewhat into an arc.

FIG. 2 shows a golfer setting himself in position for a full driving stroke, with the bar in front of his arms.

FIG. 3 shows a golfer in full backstroke preparing for a driving stroke, with the bar now behind his arms.

FIG. 4 shows a golfer setting himself in position for a chip or a run shot, with feet closer together than in FIG. 1 and the bar in front of his arms.

FIG. 5 shows a golfer in nearly full backstroke preparing for a pitch shot, as out of a bunker, with the bar at his mid-section and behind the arms and the rotation of the bar indicated from start to this position.

FIG. 6 shows a golfer near the end of his pitch shot, with the bar rotated from the backstroke position of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows a golfer setting up for a putt, with the bar in front of his upper arms.

FIG. 8 shows a golfer from above, about to putt the golf ball, with rotation to come shown by the arrows.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The device of the present invention comprises a simple rod or bar 10, as in FIG. 1, in one embodiment about 3-feet and six inches (1.1 meter) in length and less than an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. An aluminum or PVC pipe works well as it is sufficiently stiff and is not so heavy as to interfere with a golfer's stance and movement. Pad eyes or U-bolts 12 a, 12 b, and/or 12 c are fastened near opposite ends of the bar 10, spaced slightly apart from one another, to allow for adjustment of the tension on the cord, and usually in line with one another along the bar 10. An elastic cord 14, such as a bungee cord, is hooked or tied at each end to the eyes 12 c-12 c or such on the bar 10; some trial and error will be needed to fit the cord 14 with enough tension to stay in place on the upper body or hips of any given golfer, but adjustment is easily accomplished by any of various known methods and devices in addition to the several pad eyes provided.

In use, according to one of the methods of the present invention, in FIG. 2 a golfer is aligning his body in preparation for a driving shot. The bar 10 is set in front of the golfer's upper arms, with the cord 14 stretched behind his shoulders to hold the bar in position during set-up. The golf ball 16 is in front of the golfer, near his left foot, so as to strike the ball on an upward part of the swing of the golf club 18 and in a desired direction, suggested by the arrows, toward the intended golf green and cup.

Once the golfer is positioned properly with respect to the ball 16, the golfer frees his arms from behind bar 10, which then is moved to the golfer's chest, behind the arms, as in FIG. 3. Then a backstroke is taken, with the club 18 being swung rearwardly and up to about the position shown. If the golfer's backstroke is done correctly, the bar 10 will rotate with his upper body as shown, not in a generally horizontal plane but with the left end rising and the right end lowering, even into the field of view of the golfer, who keeps his head down and his eyes on the ball 16. The left end of the bar 10 may come into view of the golfer at the top of the backstroke, at least into his peripheral vision, when the backstroke is fully executed. The full swing in a driving shot is then taken from about the position of FIG. 3, and the rotation of the golfer's upper body is readily shown by the movement of the bar 10 through the down stroke and follow through after striking the ball 16. For some golfers, placing the bar behind his or her back with the cord 10 in front of the chest will be desirable as being more instructive or more comfortable (not shown).

In similar fashion, the bar 10 can be used to show and encourage proper body rotation in a chip, pendulum, bunker, or a run shot, as in FIGS. 4 to 6. In FIG. 4, the golfer aligns his body to the ball 16, using a different club 20; the ball 16 here is midway between the golfer's feet, as shown. The rod 10 is located across the golfer's mid-section. FIG. 5 shows the backstroke for the chip shot, or a pitch or bunker shot, for a full swing to hit the ball 16 a good distance. The rod 10 will rotate with the golfer's midsection and upper body as shown by the arrows, the right end lifting slightly and the left end coming down and around the front of the golfer, as in FIG. 5, although not so much as in the drive shot of FIGS. 1-2.

FIG. 6 shows the movement and rotation of the rod 10 in the proper execution of a chip, pitch, bunker, or run shot, similar to that of a full swing following FIG. 2, above. The right end of the bar 10 rotates to the front and downwardly, and the left end to the rear and upwardly. The follow-through will continue, with the club 20 often rising much higher than the position shown in FIG. 6.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the use of the rod 10 in testing or teaching a putting stroke. Here the rod 10 is placed in front of the golfer's upper arms, with the elastic cord 14 extending around the upper back of the golfer. The arms of the golfer extend downwardly throughout this stroke with the putter 22, so there is no need to move the arms to the front of the rod 10 after the golfer positions himself with respect to the ball 16. The golfer again makes a turning movement as shown by the arrows in FIG. 8 on the backstroke, and then putts the ball with a reverse rotation of the upper body and swing of his arms.

Many variations may be made in the invention and in its method of use as shown, without departing from the principles of the invention as described herein and/or as claimed as my invention. Minor variations will not avoid the use of the invention. 

I claim as my invention:
 1. A golfer's training aid for showing proper or improper stance and movement in making any of multiple golf swings, the training aid comprising: a generally stiff rod having a length of several feet (about a meter) and a diameter of about an inch (2.5 cm); at least a pair of attachment eyes on the rod, one of each pair near each end of the rod; and an elastic cord connected to and between the two attachment eyes, the elastic cord having a length and strength sufficient to hold the rod in place when the rod is placed across the front or back of a golfer at the chest, shoulders, or hips and the cord is placed respectively behind or in front of the golfer, whereby when the rod is placed across an indicative part of the body of the golfer and the elastic cord is placed around the golfer while attached to the attachment eyes, the degree of rotation of the indicative part of the body is clearly shown as the golfer executes any of a backswing for a drive or a pitch, a power down stroke for a drive or a pitch, a follow through for a drive or a pitch, and a putt.
 2. A golfer's training aid as defined in claim 1, wherein the elastic cord is affixed to attachment eyes, one such eye carried near each opposite end of the rod.
 3. A golfer's training aid as defined in claim 2, wherein the tension on the elastic cord is adjustable by means of having a plurality of spaced-apart attachment eyes carried on the rod.
 4. A method of training a golfer in the proper stance in addressing a golf ball and in the handling of a golf club in executing a golf swing or putt for striking said golf ball, the method comprising the steps: placing a rod across an indicative part of the front of a golfer's arms or body; holding the rod in place on said part of the golfer's body with an elastic cord stretched between ends of the rod and passing behind the golfer's body; and observing the movement of the rod with respect to the golfer and the golf ball as the golfer prepares for and executes a swing, including any of a drive, a chip, a pitch, a bunker shot, and a putt.
 5. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the stroke to be trained for is a drive and the rod is placed first over the golfer's upper arms, for aligning the golfer with the ball and the intended direction of the shot to be made, and the rod is thereafter located behind the golfer's arms and against his or her upper chest for making a backstroke and shot.
 6. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the stroke to be trained for is a pitch or a chip or a bunker shot and the rod is initially placed over or in front of the golfer's upper arms and then one of the arms and the rod are or is moved to lie upon the golfer's upper chest and behind the golfer's arms.
 7. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the stroke to be trained for is a pitch or bunker shot and the rod is placed under or behind the golfer's lower arms and at about the golfer's waist.
 8. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the stroke to be trained for is a putt, and the rod is place in front of the golfer's upper arms and kept there through the putting stroke. 